Contact glove



Feb. 16, 1943. w WILCOX 2,311,276

CONTACT GLOVE Original Filed Oct. 17, 1938 INVENTOR lUm J6. CUz'lcoxATTORNEYS Patented Feb. 16, 1943 CONTACT GLOVE William H. Wilcox,Stockton, Calif., assignor to California Cedar Products Company,Stockton, Ca'lifi, a corporation of California Original applicationOctober 17, 1938, Serial No.

235,476. Divided and this application Septemher 3, 1940, Serial No.355,203

8 Claims.

This invention relates in general to an electric appliance, and inparticular the invention is directed to, and it is my principal objectto provide a unique contact glove adapted to be worn and employed by anoperator of an article sorting apparatus, or the like, which includesexposed potential receiving and holding elements such as shown in mycopending application for United States Letters Patent on Articlesorting apparatus, Serial No. 235,476, filed October 17, 1938; thepresent application being a division of such above identified pendingapplication.

Another object of the invention is to provide a contact glove, as above,wherein a plurality of the fingers of the glove are each provided with aseparate contact element or thimble; each such thimble being chargedwith a different potential.

An additional object of the invention is to provide the glove withcontact elements or thimbles on a plurality of the fingers thereof;certain ones of said contact elements being charged with a potential oflike polarity, while one of said contact elements is charged with anopposite and preferably negative polarity.

A further object of the invention is to produce a simple and inexpensivedevice and yet one which will be exceedingly effective for the purposefor which it is designed.

These objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relativearrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the followingspecification and claims.

In the drawing similar characters of reference indicate correspondingparts in the several views:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the contact glove.

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary, longitudinal section of the end ofone finger of the glove with the contact element afiixed thereto.

Figure 3 is a diagram of the electric circuit employed in connectionwith the contact glove.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary elevation of one form of apparatus with whichthe contact glove is adapted to be used, as shown in said copendingapplication.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on thedrawing, my novel contact glove comprises a glove I of flexibledielectric material such as rubber; the fingers of said glove beingindicated by the numeral 2 except the thumb which is indicated by thenumeral 3.

The tips of the fingers 2, and including the thumb 3, of the glove areeach fitted with an exposed metallic contact element or thimble 4; saidthimbles being of any desired external configuration and suitablysecured on the dielectric fingers of the glove.

A five wire electric cord 5 leads from a conventional power supply unit6 which receives current from supply wires 1.

The thimbles 4 of four fingers of the glove are each charged through oneof the insulated wires W of cord 5 from the power supply unit 6 and eachwith a different potential but all of like polarity, preferablypositive. For example, the four thimbles will be chargedin consecutiveorderwith positive potentials of 10, 20, 30 and 40 volts respectively.The remaining thimble, preferably the one on thumb 3, carries a negativeor ground potential; the wire for said remaining thimble being groundedat G.

The above described contact glove is designed for use in connection witharticle sorting apparatus, or other mechanisms, which include potentialholding elements as a means of article identification; apparatus of suchtype being shown in the above identified copending application.

For the purpose of clarity and reference I have here shown (see Fig. 4)a partial view of the apparatus disclosed in the aforesaid copendingapplication.

Articles 8 such as pencil slats, to be identified and segregated forgrade, etc., are supported in spaced parallel relation on a movinghorizontal conveyor 9. An endless chain i0 is disposed with its upperreach parallel to but laterally and downwardly offset relative toconveyor 9; every other link of chain [0 being an attachment link, andan outwardly extending dielectric block H being fixed thereon. Eachblock carries an outer metallic contact face I2 including an outwardlyprojecting contact ear [3, and a lead wire M which connects with oneterminal of a fixed condenser I5 set in a bore in the correspondingblock II. The other terminal of each condenser is connected to theadjacent link of chain ID by a ground lead IS. The conveyor 9 and chainI0 are driven at the same speed, and the above condenser units are ofsuch size and number that at least one thereof alines with each article8 on conveyor 9.

A plurality of electrically actuated, article kick off mechanismscorresponding in number to the positively charged thimbles are mountedadjacent conveyor 9 in longitudinally spaced relation; one of saidmechanisms being shown at l 1. These mechanisms are disposed so thatwhen several onesof said electrical apparatus are set to function onlywith one of the several potentials with which the thimbles 4 of theaforesaid four fingers f the glove are charged.

The operator wears the contact glove on one hand and sits adjacent theconveyor 9 ahead of the kick oii mechanisms; the articles 8 on saidconveyor being visually inspected. As the articles pass and are soinspected, the operator permits one grade to pass. However when anarticle of a different grade appears the operator touches the contactface E2 of the corresponding condenser l5.with the charged thimble whosepotential charge correspondsby predetermination with said differentgrade. This imparts a predetermined potential charge to said condenserwhich continues to travel and when the contact ear 13 of said condenserengages the wiping contact l9 corresponding to the electric apparatusand kick off mechanism i'l set to operate at such potential charge, saidmechanism functions and discharges said article into the receiving binfor such grade.

It is thus apparent that the operator can segregate several grades fromthe passing articles, depending on the number of kick ofi mechanisms andcorresponding charged thimbles of the glove. Should the operatorcharge acondenser by error, the thimble 4 of thumb 3, and which thimble is ofnegative or ground polarity, is touched to the adjacent plate l2 and theerroneous charge grounded out.

A grounding wiping contact 2| mounted beyond the mechanisms I! clearsall condensers as they pass.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that I haveproduced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of theinvention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferredconstruction of the device, still in practice such deviations from suchdetail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit ofthe invention, as defined by the appended claims. I

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and useful anddesire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A device for charging potential holding elements with a selected oneof different charges, said device comprising a plurality of contactelements adapted to be supported on the fingers of an operators hand, aseparate wire leading to each contact element, and a power supply unitconnected to said wires and supplying current of diiferent potentialsbut like polarity to all but one of said cont-act elements; the powersupply unit supplying current of opposite polarity to said one contactelement.

2. A device as in claim 1 in which said means comprises a dielectricglove, the contact elements being fixed to the fingers thereof.

3. A device as in claim 1 in which said means comprises a dielectricglove, the contact elements being fixed to the fingers thereof; said onecontact element being fixed to the thumb of the glove.

4. A device for charging potential holding elements with a selected oneof diiferent charges, said device comprising a glove of dielectricmaterial, metallic thimbles fixed on the ends of the fingers of theglove, an insulated wire leading to each thimble, and a power supplyunit having a plurality of output terminals, said terminals supplyingcurrent of different potentials and being connected to correspondingones of said wires.

5. A device for charging potential holding elements, said devicecomprising a glove of dielectric material metallic thimbles fixed on theends of the fingers of the glove, and insulated wire leading to eachthimble, and a power supply unit connected to said wires and supplyingcurrent of different potentials but like polarity to all but one of saidthimbles, and supplying a potential of opposite polarity to said onethimble.

6. A device for charging potential holding elements, said deviceincluding a power supply unit having a plurality of outputs ofdifi'ierent potentials, and means including flexible wires sup-. portedin part by the hand of an operator, to transmit said potentials to, andestablish a contact point at, the ends of different fingers of theoperator.

7. A device for charging potential holding elements with a selected oneof different charges, said device comprising a plurality of contactelements adapted to be supported on the fingers of an operators hand, apower supply unit having a plurality of output terminals, said terminalssupplying current of different potentials, and separate wires leadingfrom said terminals to corresponding ones of said contact elements.

8. A device for charging potential holding elements with a selected oneof difierent charges, said device comprising a plurality of contactelements adapted to be supported on the fingers of an operators hand, apower supply unit having a plurality of output terminals, said terminalssupplying current of different potentials but like polarity, andseparate wires leading from said terminals to corresponding ones of saidcontact elements.

WILLIAM H. WILCOX.

